Cleveland Motorcycle Manufacturing Company
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| Industry | Motor vehicle |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1915 |
| Defunct | 1929 |
| Headquarters | Cleveland, Ohio, USA |
| Products | Motorcycles |
The Cleveland Motorcycle Manufacturing Company, sometimes called Cleveland Motorcycle, was a motorcycle manufacturer in Cleveland, Ohio from 1915 to 1929.[1][2]
Two-stroke singles
The first Cleveland of 1915 had a 220 cc (13 cu in) displacement two-stroke single-cylinder engine with a longitudinal crankshaft orientation, necessitating a worm drive to turn the axis of rotation of the drive to the transmission by 90°.[1] The transmission was a two speed with a sprocket turning a chain final drive. Besides driving the transmission, the engine's countershaft extended back to drive a magneto that hung in front of the rear wheel.[1] In 1920, the motorcycle's weight increased from the addition of fenders, a larger fuel/oil tank, and in 1921 the seat was enlarged, along with a still larger fuel/oil tank, and a battery was added. The displacement was increased to 270 cc (16 cu in) to handle the increased weight from these changes.[1] During World War I, US forces used the Cleveland as a base courier.[3]
Four-strokes, four cylinders, and failure
In 1924, two years after buying out Reading-Standard, Cleveland replaced their two-stroke engine with a 21.5 cubic inches (352 cc) four-stroke single-cylinder engine.[4] In 1925 they released a motorcycle with a 36.5 cubic inches (598 cc) T-head four-cylinder engine designed by L. E. Fowler.[5][6] With a smaller engine than rival four-cylinder motorcycles by Henderson and Ace, Cleveland's first four-cylinder motorcycle did not sell well.[4][5] In 1926, Cleveland replaced the Fowler engine with a new design by E. H. DeLong.[5][7] The new engine had an inlet-over-exhaust valve configuration[5][8] and a displacement of forty-five cubic inches.[4][7] The displacement was increased to sixty-one cubic inches the following year.[4][5][7]
By 1928 Cleveland had financial problems. That year, the company offered itself for sale to Harley-Davidson. Harley-Davidson considered the offer, as Cleveland's new four-cylinder motorcycles offered a ready-made competitor to Indian's Ace-based fours, but rejected it in favor of developing their own four.[9]
In 1929 Cleveland announced their Tornado model, with a lowered frame and seat height, lightweight pistons, larger valves, and a higher compression ratio.[5][7][8] A Century model, with a guaranteed top speed of one hundred miles per hour, was announced.[5][7]
A few months after the Wall Street Crash of 1929, after building only a few prototypes of the Century, Cleveland went out of business.[7]
References
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